Fall Smallies

I was wondering if the smallies are still up and active on the reefs….and is there a key time in the fall and/or water temp when they seem to become uncatchable or hard to find?

My experience from years past has showed me that the smallies remain pretty active until the water reaches the mid 40’s and then the bite becomes a little more sporadic. Miving to livebait can definately up your odds at this time. Lindy rigging BIG redtails can take big smallies at this time in the deeper water adjacent to some of their summertime haunts.
Right now is the time usually where the topwater bite starts to fall off the pace and big spinnerbaits and plastics can be real crucial for the taking. The new 5″ YUM Houdini shad has really shined as of late with the falling temps. I have been fishing these unweighted on a 2/0 wide gap Gammie. The slow fall has been the trigger once fish have been found. This is the time where musky fisherman take nice catches of smallies on the big gear due to their behavior to prefer slightly larger profiles over the smaller stuff. I will be on the water this wekeend chasing some smallies before the sun goes down!

Hope this helps you a bit and good luck!

Steve, Thanks for the info. Have you noticed any color preference for the flukes or soft stickbaits…even just light vs. dark colors? Just wondering if they go on a minnow bite compared to craws or perch.

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